How People Cause Problems for Wildlife

When we think about conflicts between people and wildlife, we often think in terms of ourselves first. The skunk under the porch, the squirrel in the garage and the bear in the garden are causing problems for US.

But wait a moment. Maybe the animals are thinking the same thing! After all, they're just looking for a safe place to sleep or a tasty lunch… and then those pesky humans have to come along and ruin everything!

The fact of the matter is that we have more impact on wildlife than wildlife has on us. The conveniences that we take for granted can be dangerous to a wild animal.

What kind of problems do we cause? Here are some examples of how things that we take for granted can harm wildlife:

-City Lights: Many migrating birds mistake the lights left on in skyscrapers at night for stars in a clear sky. Millions of birds are killed annually when they crash into these buildings. Some caring people in Toronto, Canada have formed the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) to encourage building managers to turn off the skyscraper lights during the spring and fall migration. It's a simple solution to a big problem, but more buildings need to participate.

-Mine Shafts: Old abandoned mines can be dangerous places for wildlife, for pets and for young children. But the mines provide a wonderful home for many species of bats.  Installing a "bat friendly" gate ensures the safety of people and animals while allowing the bats to get in and out of the mine.

-Highways: Imagine you're a raccoon or a turtle and you need to cross a busy highway. Our busy roads often spell disaster for animals. Wildlife tunnels build underneath highways aren't a perfect solution, but they do help animals cross a little more safely. 

-Garbage: Our trash can be dangerous to wildlife. The plastic rings that hold six-packs of soft drinks and other beverages can become tangled around a foot or face and cause injury or even death. How can you help? Simply snip the rings apart with a scissors before you throw them away so nothing can become entangled in them. 

-Fishing Nets: Commercial fishing nets often catch things that weren't supposed to get caught, like dolphins or sea turtles. There are special "turtle-excluder" devices that fishermen can use on their shrimp nets to prevent accidents from happening. 

-Helium Balloons: Those bouncy bright helium-filled balloons we love so much can kill sea turtles and other marine creatures.. When these balloons land in the ocean they can look like jelly fish—a favourite food of sea turtles. The turtles accidentally eat the deflated balloon, which then becomes caught in their stomachs. Deflated balloons can also break and entangle small mammals and birds.

-Cats: One of the biggest dangers we impose on wildlife comes in the form of our own pet cats. Every year, millions and millions of wild animals are injured or killed as a result of cat attacks. Does this mean that cats are bad animals? NO! Cats are just being cats, and cats are predators. But they aren't a natural predator in North America, so we need to keep our cats indoors. It's safer for the cat and it's safer for the wildlife. Read more about cats and wildlife on the Cat's Indoors web site.

You can read more about problems facing wildlife in Natural Enquirer. Why not make a copy of Natural Enquirer and take it to school with you? That way, you can discuss what you've learned with your teacher and your class. Maybe you can get together and think of a way that you can help.